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Buhari, Awujale: How Two Powerful Friends Died Same Day, and What Forged Their Bond
Nigeria has lost two giants on the same day: Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebuland, and former President Muhammadu Buhari, men bound not only by power and history but by decades of personal friendship.
Oba Adetona, who ruled Ijebuland for over 64 years, passed away in Ijebu-Ode at the age of 91 on Sunday, just hours after news broke that Buhari had died in London at 82. Their nearly 40-year bond defied the boundaries of politics and royalty.
How Awujale and Buhari Became Friends
In late 1983, then-Ogun State Governor Olabisi Onabanjo signed a decree to remove Oba Adetona as the Awujale, to take effect January 2, 1984. But that move was aborted by Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s coup on December 31, 1983. One of Buhari’s first acts in power was to reverse the Awujale’s removal.
That singular decision created a lifetime bond between the two.
The monarch never forgot. And Buhari, often known for his aloofness, considered the Awujale one of the few traditional rulers whose counsel he respected and sought in private moments.
An Unspoken Pact
Though they operated in different spheres, one under ancestral customs, the other under constitutional and military codes, they often found common ground.
Both men were deeply principled, intensely private, and deeply misunderstood by some of their contemporaries.
Oba Adetona’s voice, particularly during national debates on governance and restructuring, carried weight not just because of his age or throne, but because it was shaped by firsthand experience with power, and with Buhari.
It is widely known in inner political circles that the Awujale would occasionally reach out to Buhari privately during his presidency, especially in moments of national tension.
In return, Buhari never shied from publicly honouring the Awujale, even long after leaving power. Their friendship outlived governments.
Twin Departures
That both men died on the same day is more than a coincidence. It’s a passing of an era defined by stoic leadership and conservative values.
Their deaths invite a national pause, not just to mourn, but to reflect on the delicate, often overlooked alliances that helped stabilise Nigeria through its many transitions.
What Happens Now?
For Ijebu-Ode: Oba Adetona’s death will trigger traditional succession rites under the Anikinaiya Ruling House. The Ijebu people will mourn a monarch who saw Nigeria gain independence, survive coups, and evolve into a democracy, all from his royal seat.
For Katsina and the nation: Buhari will be buried in Daura, his hometown, with full Islamic rites and likely a state-organised farewell. Vice President Kashim Shettima would escort the remains of the ex-general back to Nigeria.
Flags are already flying at half-mast on President Bola Tinubu’s order. But beyond protocol, there’s an undeniable silence that now lingers in Nigeria’s political and cultural space, a void that both friends leave behind
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has emerged winner of the Ghari/Tsanyawa supplementary election in Kano state
The returning officer, Professor Muhammad Waziri of Bayero University, declared Garba Ya’u Gwarmai of the APC winner with 31,472 votes
Waziri defeated the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Yusuf Ali Maigado, who polled 27,931 votes
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has secured victory in the Ghari/Tsanyawa supplementary election held in Kano state.
Announcing the results on Sunday morning, August 17, the returning officer (RO), Professor Muhammad Waziri from Bayero University, declared APC candidate Garba Gwarmai the winner with a total of 31,472 votes.
He defeated the candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Yusuf Maigado, who polled 27,931 votes, according to The Punch.
The supplementary poll was conducted after the initial election in the constituency was declared inconclusive. With a margin of 3,541 votes, Gwarmai’s victory marks a key win for the APC as the party continues to reinforce its influence across the state.
Meanwhile, the NNPP won the Bagwai/Shanono state assembly by-election in Kano state.
Daily Trust and Vanguard noted this update.
Announcing the result at 12:36 a.m. on Sunday, August 17, the RO for the election, Prof. Hassan Adamu Shitu, declared the NNPP candidate, Ali Hassan Kiyawa, winner with 16,198 votes, defeating the APC candidate, Ahmad Muhammad Kadamu, who polled 5,347 votes.
Former Governor of Niger State, Dr. Babangida Aliyu, has said that the administration of President Bola Tinubu is performing well but lacks an effective communication strategy to relay its achievements to Nigerians.
Aliyu made the statement on the Thursday edition of Arise Television’s ‘The Morning Show’, while reacting to the outcome of a recent public accountability session held in Kaduna.
Aliyu, reflecting on the discussions at the Kaduna Forum, said the government is facing public dissatisfaction not because it hasn’t delivered, but because it is failing to tell its own story effectively.
The ex-governor said it is proper for political leaders in the North to make demands from Tinubu’s administration since the bulk of the votes that took power came from the region.
“Let the people understand what is happening on the ground. If by what we say that 63/64 percent of the vote came from the north, it is only logical that the north will be expecting so much from the government.
“But from what we have seen so far is that the government is doing well but they do not know how to communicate very well,” he said.
News
New Twist As El-Rufai Snubs ADC, Announces Another Party To Vote In Kaduna Bye-Election [ Video Trends]
Former Kaduna governor, Nasir El-Rufai, appeared to have taken a reverse from the coalition’s adopted political platform, ADC
This is as the former governor took to social media and asked the people of Zaria, Chikun to vote for another party in the Saturday, August 16 (today), bye-elections in the constituencies in Kaduna
Recall that the former governor recently visited Sokoto to canvass support for the ADC, while criticising President Bola Tinubu and the APC government.
Click to watch El-Rufai’s video here
— Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai (@elrufai) August 14, 2025
Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna, has fueled speculations that he dumped the recently adopted coalition political platform, African Democratic Congress (ADC), as he called on the people of Chikun/Kajuru federal constituency and Zaria Kewaye and Basawa state constituency to vote for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
However, in a dramatic turn, the former governor urged the people of Zaria and Chikun to vote for the SDP in the Saturday, August 16, by-election, a poll which was meant to test the opposition’s strength ahead of the 2027 general election.
Recall that El-Rufai defected to the SDP after dumping the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but soon after joining the party, the SDP fell into a leadership crisis, and the former governor has been silent on his membership and allegations against him.
El-Rufai recently visited Sokoto on a mission to gather support for the ADC. He described his action as a patriotic one to rescue Nigeria from the grip of ‘nepotism’ and ‘incompetence’.
During his visit to Sokoto, the former governor attended two important events meant to sensitise the people and political stakeholders working to achieve the agenda of sacking President Tinubu and the APC in the next general election.
During his address at the event, the former governor lambasted the ruling party and called them ‘a failed, clannish, and visionless administration that has plunged Nigeria into deeper socio-economic misery’.
He declared that it was time for Nigerians to rise against the APC and accused the party of ‘broken promises and elite conspiracy’. He warned that any move to vote for the APC beyond 2027 would be a greater doom for the country.
However, in a sharp turn, the former governor, in a video posted on his social media page ahead of the by-election, urged the people in the constituencies where the poll will be held in Kaduna on Saturday, August 16, to vote for the SDP rather than the ADC he went to Sokoto to canvass for.
“I Don’t Pray My Prophecies Come To Pass” – Primate Ayodele Drops Shocking Message [VIDEO]
BREAKING: Winner Emerges In Kano Bye-Election As APC, NNPP Lock Horns
BREAKING: ADC Claims Victory Against APC In Kaduna Bye-Election
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